Meet Chester & Hester

"We want a pet!"

Ainsley Toonsley and Melodie had been wanting a pet for quite some time. Melodie, Ainsley's older and wiser sister was pretty sure that a bunny rabbit would be perfect. She had asked and wished many times for a bunny. Mommy was pretty sure that a bunny was a bit more than the 2 girls could handle...but they persisted. "We really want a pet mommy." Mmm...well mommy was allergic to dogs and daddy was allergic to cats so the most obvious pet options were out of the question. "How about fish?" said mommy, but the girls unanimously agreed that fish were way too boring. Mommy sort of liked the idea of a turtle...but then again turtles could live a looong time so that probably wasn't a really good option.

"What about a hamster or a gerbil?" said mommy "or a guineau pig" said Ainsley Toonsley? Ainsley had a guineau pig in her classroom at school. So the girls looked up hamsters, gerbils and guineau pigs on the computer and thought they were very cute. "We'll go to the pet store and take a look this weekend" said mommy. And so the wait began...5 long days until the weekend. Melodie asked mommy every morning "how many more days?" and every day was one day less, but still such a very long time. Down to one day. Melodie went to school all dressed up and fancy for her special lunch with the principal. And Ainsley, who was staying home with mommy that day, also got all dressed up too - just because.

That afternoon, mommy surprised them both when she said that they could go look at the pet store that night instead of waiting one more day! "Yippee! It is my very lucky day" said Melodie and Ainsley had to agree. The stopped at the store closest to their house where they came across some hamsters called Teddy Bear hamsters. Super cute and cuddly both Ainsley and Melodie thought they would be fun...but mommy an daddy weren't as sure. "Let's check another pet store" they both said. So after a long and boring dinner of cheeseburgers the girls finally got to go to another pet store. This store was bigger, but didn't have the same cute and cuddly hamsters. The girls were a little sad until mommy said "why don't we go back to the other store." "What?" said Ainsley. "Are we getting a pet?" said Melodie. "Well only if they are still there" said daddy.

The girls shouted out in glee and began to sing. "We're getting a pet! We're getting a pet!" They could not have been more excited. Hoping that they were still there, Melodie and Ainsley raced into the store to take a peek. They were.

"Perfecto!" said Ainsley peering into their little glass case watching them peacefully sleep. "We'll take those" said daddy. And so began the adventure. They picked out a nice home for them, a blue spinning wheel, and some food and treats. Once in the car on the way home they talked about names. "How about Chester and Hester?" said Ainsley. And this begins the tale of Chester and Hester and their adventures with Ainsley Toonsley and Melodie.

"Let's see your happy face!" said mommy. Ainsley and Melodie both smiled as they dreamed of all of the fun adventures they would have with their new little friends.

Ainsley Toonsley & The Very Cold Day

"Brrr...its cold outside" said mommy. So Ainsley Toonsley and Melodie had the whole day to play inside. Not their favorite place to be.

To top it off both of the girls weren't feeling well. Running noses and hair that was full of static flying all about because of the cold, neither girl was feeling very happy. But alas, Melodie was never short of ideas and so the two decided to create the Ainsley Toonsley and Melodie Cafe.

First they must create menues thought Melodie and so she set to work with Mommy. The featured items included: Pancakes with fruit topping and whip cream (of course), sausage and juice to drink. Ainsley focused on the entertainment making sure that everyone had ample paper for the characters to sign. The featured guest of course was Ainsley Toonsley herself.

Checklist for an At Home Character Meal:

1. Menu - prepared with mom and dad's help.
2. Kids Set the Table - get fancy with folded napkins and placemats
3. Dress Up Supplies - kids dress up as characters of their choice
4. Camera - for cute pictures and character greetings
5. Autograph Books - Kids can make up books and work on writing skills


After the meal was prepared and places were set, the characters visited the table and signed autograph books. Of course the characters had to enjoy some food too, but after that brief intermission everyone ended the meal with a small dance party to give the characters one last opportunity to showcase their talents.

Ainsley Toonsley said the meal was "very cool" and is currently planning her next adventure!

I Need to Go to the Dentist - An Ainsley Toonsley Adventure

“Mommy I need to go to the dentist” said Ainsley Toonsley one day.

“Why? Do your teeth hurt?” Her mommy wanted to know.

“Oh no mommy I just want my teeth to be sparkly clean.”

And so mommy made an appointment for Ainsley Toonsley to go to the dentist.

And when the day came, Ainsley decided that perhaps she didn’t want to go to the dentist. “I don’t think I will like it so much.” she said.

But mommy made the appointment and it was decided that she would go. She would have to be very brave, but if she was then she would get many treats. Melody, her big sister told her that is what happened when she went to the dentist.

Mommy checked in and they waited in the waiting room. Ainsley was getting a bit nervous. Mommy asked her if her tummy hurt and for some reason asked if she had butterflies in her stomach. Ainsley said she was a little nervous…”why?” asked mommy. And she said it was because she was worried about butterflies in her stomach. “I see” said mommy with a smile.

Then the lady in the white coat called Ainsley’s name and she even said that mommy could come back too.

When they got back Ainsley saw funny looking chairs that looked more like beds. She was told to lay down so the doctor could look at her teeth, but Ainsley didn’t think that was a good idea.

So the lady in the white coat told her all about the instruments instead. One was a poky stick that would just tickle her teeth a bit, another was a squirt gun to put water in her mouth and then Mr. Thirsty the vacuum cleaner to take the water out. She got to pick out her favorite flavor of toothpaste – bubble gum and if she was really good she would get 2 treats from the treasure box!

Ainsley still didn’t know about laying down on the bed chair. She was still a little nervous…not about butterflies, but about what the dentist wanted to do to her teeth.

Finally the dentist came and she was very nice. She told her she could lean back on mommy while she counted her teeth if she’d like…and so she did.

20 teeth the dentist counted. 20 perfect teeth with no cavities. And then it was time for the cleaning. The cleaning would make her teeth nice and clean. She would have sparkly princess teeth if she let them do the cleaning and that sounded pretty fun so Ainsley decided that would be ok.

And after her teeth were sparkly clean she got to pick, not 2 but 3 treats from the treasure box.! She must have been very good because she got star glasses, a notebook and stickers from the treasure box and a pink balloon and t-shirt too! Even better, Ainsley got a certificate and ribbon that said she had NO CAVITIES. It was wayyyy cool!

Ainsley showed off her prizes to Melody when she came home and showed her daddy her sparkly princess teeth. She even told grandma all about her dentist visit when she talked to her on the phone.

Ainsley Toonsley loved her trip to the dentist and thinks that maybe she should go again tomorrow.

Hurricanes & Tornadoes

Back in 2004 we lived in FL. We lived there for 10 years and there were many hurricane warnings and a few that actually came our way. For the most part though all of the preparation was just a futile effort to have a little control over an otherwise very uncontrollable situation. The thing about hurricanes is that you sit and watch the swirling blob on the news, coming your way, for hours and hours. You never really know if you are going to be impacted...until you get hit.

Preparations include making sure you have a food supply that could be eaten if you don't have electricity, having batteries in the flashlights, a battery powered radio, cell phones charged, outdoor furniture secured etc etc. And then you wait.

Now living in the mid western part of the country we get tornadoes. Difference between the two is that tornadoes come quick and without warning. If you get hit, you get hit and you probably won't know its coming at all.

My daughters have both been sick the last couple of days. And I know its only a matter of time before my husband and I get hit. I feel like I'm waiting for the hurricane. We don't know how big it will be, but I sense it is coming. So the last couple of days I have been assessing the food supply. "Do we have enough soup, crackers, bread if we can't make it to the store?" How about medicine? When you have a stomach bug or migraine headache, something small, but yet disabling and dependent children suddenly you realize preparation is key to making it through.

As we all get ready for cold and flu season. Here's to wishing you the best in making it through with as little damage as possible!

Happy Halloween!

This years Halloween adventures had us going into new territory...specifically...new kindergarten territory. Yes we are now navigating the waters of public education. A strange and happy place where the goal is to educate the children in a safe sometimes paranoid environment where everything is fair and equitable for the masses. Our school has "high parent involvement" which translates into - every parent attends everything possible and the PTO is always looking for "volunteers" . It is good of course but also a bit difficult if you are a parent who has to, I don't know...work to support your family or something.

So...on to the Halloween adventure.

It began a couple of months ago when I was tapped to be a room mom. Thrown into the world of Oriental Trading Co, goodie bags and healthy snacks I quickly learned that a "party" for kindergarten kids involves more than a few cupcakes. One of the biggest lessons involved learning that the menu must be balanced. This is not about candy and sugar. It is about limiting the sugary snack with a good dose of healthy snacks. So our party involved a cheese tray, fruit tray and, oh ya, a cookie. Poor kids... But they did get to dress up, do the monster mash, and do a fun and easy craft.

The day before the party we went on an adventure to the Pumpkin Patch. There were possibly 4 kids in the class who did not have parents there. The poor teacher trying to keep track of the kids when basically everyones parent was there taking them one direction or the other. Very difficult to keep kids all together anyway let alone with these renegade parents :)

But all in all it was a great Halloween! We opted out of the traditional trick or treating for the new "safer" go to the mall style of trick or treating. It was actually great fun and much easier than worrying about traffic but I suppose a bit sad to get away from how trick or treating used to be...when we were kids.

Hope everyone had a safe and "healthy" Halloween!

Back in the Playroom

We're home!

We love travel, but love to be home. The fun of coming home after a trip is that everything is new again. Toys that haven't been played with for weeks are suddenly new again. Its so much fun. Plus, traveling with kids is hard, even if fully prepared so having the freedom to let them run around the house without worry is a great freedom that I always miss when we are staying in a hotel room the size of our living room :) Note to self...look into renting a condo next time!

Returning from a trip also refreshes me as well. I always have new goals and ambitions that tend to get lost in the normal day to day. Right now my goal is to get my home office set up and focus more on getting my travel business going and writing on a more regular basis. As a mom its hard to focus energy on things other than the kids, but it is so important for your sanity and theirs.

So - we're back! Check our travel blog for new posts on our recent Disney trip and travel tips in general. With my experience traveling to the mouse myself, my hope is to help others with their planning. WDW vacations can be overwhelming so I look forward to breaking down the pieces and having a little fun :)

But Mommy Still Needs Naptime!!!!

Its gone...so gone... I think the days of a 2 hour semi break in the middle of the day are over. My 3 year old won't nap anymore.

I am mourning the loss of this time. There are 5 stages right? Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I have been in denial for a couple of weeks now. I started to see the writing on the wall just prior to our last vacation, but I still wanted to believe it was only temporary. The bargaining began about that time as well. "We can have ice cream when you wake up if you take a nap". Today I am dealing with the anger. Most likely because the darling was up until 11:30p last night because she fell asleep around 5 yesterday afternoon watching TV. So today as I was insistent that she "TAKE A NAP" which only resulted in her laying in her bed for an hour and having an accident (which hasn't happened for quite some time now). Now on to depression...